


Together forever

by alumort



Category: Naruto
Genre: Anbu Hyuuga Neji, Angst, Hyuuga Neji Lives, M/M, Naruto Rare Pair Week 2020, Not for long tho, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:01:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24067795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alumort/pseuds/alumort
Summary: 1-Lee can't sleep, and thinks about the war.2-Everything goes to hell thanks to the Sannin that wanted to tame Death.
Relationships: Hyuuga Neji/Rock Lee, Metal Lee/Mitsuki
Comments: 6
Kudos: 7





	1. Not made of glass

**Author's Note:**

> I used the prompt Together against all odds in both chapters, with a twist at the end :)  
> Hope you like this little fluff moment between the two <3

War always leaves death behind.

That was something everyone knew, from newly-made Genin to Jounin. It was something that had to happen, to protect every shinobi of every hidden village. But... he wasn't prepared to lose him. To see his body hit the ground, blood over his face and clothes. He was the strongest of their team, yet...

"NEJI!"

He was killed. He was dead, his body cold, the shine of his pale eyes gone… Lee hugged him, for nothing. The border of a spike had crossed him, a hole was in his body now.

"NO, NEJI! WAKE UP!", he cried, holding into his corpse as if that would wake him up. As if that was a solution of some sorts. "L... love... wake up, please..."

His voice was merely a whisper in dead ears, in a puddle of blood. He could see the damned cursed mark fading from his forehead, a smile in his face even after all the pain he passed through. Lee felt heavy. Sobbing, he couldn't force himself to separate from Neji, his love, his rival, his... everything. He had died to defend his cousin, he had died because of the branches stuff of his Clan, and-

"We can save him! He's not as damaged as Hinata!", he heard someone say, at his side, and felt a hand in his shoulder. "Like Naruto did with Gaara, remember?"

Lee cleaned his tears, blood in his hands and mind. Seeing an orange aura covering everyone was weird, but that same aura ended up making his lover breathe again, after the battle was finally over. 

He never, never left from his side during his recovery. The closest thing to that was when he had to wait outside the operation room, for both his father and his boyfriend.

~

His long hair was tangled in his fingers, eyes closed in complete peace. Anyone that looked at him would think that he was dead, noticing the soft movement of his stomach only under a better inspection. Neji was alive. Breathing, covered in bandages that were tinted with red, but alive, with shining pale eyes and a soft smile in his lips.

Lee was resting at his side, laying completely still over the blankets, afraid of opening his boyfriend's injuries with the lightest touch. Yet his soul craved proximity, and craved, forcing him to turn around to not fall to his impulses. He wasn't going to risk anything. Even if he knew Neji wasn't made of glass, a failed attempt at protecting Hinata shattered him anyways. He was almost broken forever, saved only by the quick act of Sakura. The boy couldn't imagine what would've happened had the cousins switched places. He may not have known Hinata well but, as selfish as it could sound, he was glad that she was the staked one.

Neji was dead for some minutes. The girl's body was too broken to be _'revived'_ , the mysterious way that his first crush and Tsunade did it, and his lover ended up free from his seal, as it faded with death. The rest of the Hyuga Clan almost marked him again, had not Kakashi intercepted. He was exiled, instead of sealed or killed again, but he was safer and happier than before the war; that was what mattered now. 

A quiet muttering came from behind Lee; soon after, two strong arms wrapped his chest with such softness, that Lee could _(would)_ not hold back his grin.

"Stop moving", his lover whispered, his chin settled over his shoulder. Long hair brushed the taijutsu master, who let out a giggle after hearing those words.

"Sorry for waking you up", Lee apologized, placing his hands over Neji's. "I love you", he added, his smiling softening. He felt a pair of lips in the curve of his neck, kissing his skin.

"I love you too", Neji whispered. Then, he bit his neck, careful enough to not harm him. "You're tasty. Nom, nom."

"I'm... happy, for that", Lee added, sighing. He felt how Neji twisted his head to the side, in surprise and confusion. "I'm so happy. You are still here, and... A-and..."

His lips trembled a little, and he had to bit the bottom one to not sob. To not cry. He should stop thinking of the war, of the almost loss; Neji was alive. Warm. Still recovering, like everyone else, with fragile bones and muscles, not going to be able to be a ninja again, but... he was at his side. He felt well enough to goof with him, then why did Lee had to ruin everything with his sensibility?

"I'm sorry...", the black haired boy muttered, another sigh escaping from his mouth. A hand started to clean his tears, which only made him cry harder.

"For what? Don't apologise for your feelings, Lee", his lover said, moving enough to look at him in the eyes, even if that broke the embrace. "I... I _did_ die, Lee. We can't forget that easily. I love annoying you. I'm... trying to make you feel better, that way."

Lee couldn't find words to answer him. His throat felt knotted, and he couldn't breathe well. Neji noticed this, hugging him again, covering him with his arms and rubbing soothing circles in his back. He was still healing, he couldn't hug back... What if he injured him? If he made things worse, unable to control his strength with his intense emotions? Lee wouldn't forgive himself. It was something that would happen, he was too impulsive.

"It's okay, Lee. Cry as much as you need to", he heard Neji whispering over his head, then the taijutsu master felt himself being held close to his chest, and the soft caressing in his hair. 

He couldn't remember when, but he fell asleep in his arms. Unconsciously hugging him back, without breaking his bones or making him feel pain. It was the comfort he needed, for the moment. He knew Neji wasn't made of glass, yet he had needed to see it to fully believe it.


	2. Together against all odds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything goes to hell thanks to Orochimaru, who wanted to tame Death. It ended in the worst way possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)

It was cruel. They... shouldn't be the ones burying their child. Sweet Metal, who was way too young to fully understand why everything had happened. Who admired his dad and grandad so much, that he started training since he had memory. 

They were far away from home. From a village, from everyone... but, ah,  _ 'everyone' _ is subjective. Was  _ 'everyone' _ their family, now consisting in Lee and him, or the hoard of infected that they left behind in civilization? They were alone now, in middle of a coastal forest, weeks away from Konoha. A big bridge to an island used to be there, and Lee destroyed it to make sure nothing came to them.  Nothing should've been there. Metal wanted to help with hunting, and he succeed... but a stranger with brown spiky hair and a white fisherman hat appeared from the bushes, when their son was proudly carrying the dead deer. 

And he bit him. Destroying his smile, his face... neither Neji nor Lee had detected him, congratulating him about his catch; that’s why there had been an infected that took their little angel away from them. Deep in the earth they buried him, in the mud, as rain decided to clean the bloodbath of the day. Neji simply stood in front of the little circle of flowers, his eyes closed, lips trembling; holding Lee in his chest, even when the latter was the tallest of the two now.  He just... had enough. The death of their son was what made him feel like so, hopeless. Lee was usually the optimistic one, and he was probably feeling worse than him. Neji couldn't tell what emotions his heart and mind had now. He wasn't sad, or angry, he was just...  _ existing there. _ Making sure his husband survived, or he wouldn't continue. At his side.

"I haven't seen you cry for him!", Lee exclaimed one night, before cuddling to each other like they always did, the absence of their child very, very noticeable. "Didn't you care about or son, Neji?! What, was it because we adopted him, that we couldn't conceive? Is that why?!"

"Lee, you know that's not true. It's just..."

"You were angry, isn't it?", his husband whispered, crossing his arms with a frown. "Jealous. You... don't like sharing me. Admit it, Neji."

"Lee, what are you talking about?", the brown haired man wondered, getting closer to his partner. Lee pushed him away, getting out of the bed. "I love Metal. He is our son, how can I not?"

"Yet you... didn't cry for him. You- you just kept quiet", Lee muttered, looking at the ground. "I saw you cry with everyone else. Gai, Tenten, Hinata... but not with our son. That's... why? Were you happy he died? That he got his face bitten by the... thing? IS THAT  _ WHY _ , NEJI?"

His voice sounded angrier with every single word. Too loud, in a way the Hyuga never witnessed from him. He felt scared of him for the first time in... ever.

"Lee, love...", Neji started, knowing that hugging him now would just make things worse. "I j-just... we lost everything, in less than a year... I can't cry anymore, Lee. I just... can't, okay?"

The brunet heard his husband inhaling deeply, yet he didn't move to return to the bed. He was still standing in front of him, analysing him... it hurt, to see him acting like this. Like he was an enemy.  Soon after, he heard how Lee simply walked away, closing the wooden door of the house they found with more strength than needed.

The blankets were cold that night.

~

He felt the porcelain in his face before he even realized he was awake. Or... in a dream. A memory.

"Thiss iss not what I wanted!", he always heard someone screaming in the dark of the night, of a house that the ANBU had to vigile. 

It was his shift. Yamato had fallen ill, and Neji's eyes never failed, so Sasuke had personally picked him for the work. Sometimes he was assigned simple tasks like these, in his hawk mask; no danger of being attacked unless he got too distracted. Normally it happened during the weekends, when he wouldn't have to wake up and teach young brats in the Academy. His body ended up weak after almost dying once, and so he couldn't continue to be a Jonin.

The duty of guarding Orochimaru wasn't related to the fact his own son was dating the mad scientist's son, Neji had to remember himself. A lie, to not jump and attack the old Sannin when he heard the screams of a child, when they played with his body with needles and tubes. Nothing could be done legally, Shikamaru had to remind him on a daily basis. Orochimaru never let any hint to be revealed for him to get actually arrested. That time, they had overstepped. Not leaving hints, yet...

"You aren't alive! How are you moving?! Ssstay away from me!"

... leaving a putrid scent behind their acts. A mark that impacted the village, the world; what was worse, was that the Chunin Exams were being held. There were visitors from all villages. Naruto's boyfriend always stayed for a little more than needed, which accidentally marked the downfall of Suna the moment he had to return.

"NO! LOG, SSSTO-"

The screaming stopped as quickly as it had started. Neji saw little Mitsuki escaping from a window, too agitated and in night clothes. He ran away, in direction to the house where the three Lee-s lived. That's when Neji knew something was terribly wrong. That's how their family succeeded in escaping, at first. He didn't chase after the kid; he checked if the Sannin was alright, protocol needed or he wouldn't get the day paid. 

He wasn't alright. Log, his oldest son, was biting his body. Blood was in the floor, the walls; Orochimaru was dead.

_ 'Kra, kra, kra...' _

What he wouldn't forget from that night, was the unfocused stare of the...  _ infected _ . How drool didn't stop coming from his mouth, how his chakra looked so messy and of a disgusting neon green tone. Yet it was soft, weak, like a civilian's; barely there.

He ran behind Mitsuki as Log started to walk in his direction. Fear had won over his body, as he started to notice that the green tone was spreading through Orochimaru's chakra too. Slowly, but still infecting them too. That's how his family was the first to escape. He strayed in the path to warn the Hokage of what he saw. Terror filled his veins as the green chakra had spread like a sickness, like a flu, near the restaurant the Sannin used to visit. 

The houses were like the lights of a Christmas tree, as it first took civilians. He... probably wouldn't be fast enough to help his Lee-s, Gai and Tenten if he gave the report. Neji didn't check if that was true at all; his loyalty was to his real family first, waking up Kakashi and his teacher as soon as he saw their home.As they packed their things, he managed to call Lee and Tenten and- oh, it was a group call. Who had their phones on this late into the night, was who managed to escape first.

Except Sasuke, the Hokage. He stayed behind, to help the rest in evacuating… Nobody saw him again. Or the shinobi and civilian that stayed behind with him.

~

The Byakugan was of great help, being something essential in these times. With it, Neji could see the traces of the infected; where they walked, where they hid... the moment he got distracted by tiredness was the moment his son got killed. Even if his vision slowly faded away thanks to overusing it, he had to keep it on.

That helped him to relax. Helped him know where Lee had went, his only hook to life. Not far away; just up, to the second floor of the house they found in the forest. The green chakra coming from the grave almost makes him puke; Metal didn't deserve that. Nobody did. Yet it happened, thanks to a crazy scientist that for no reason was kept alive. Nothing could be done now, more than lament the actions from the past and keep living. Try to recover his feelings, stop feeling so empty... attempt to be in good terms with Lee again.  Neji sighed, getting out of bed for the day. It was morning already, and he had to do something. Gather food, sew clothes before Winter... whatever. First, he jumped to the second floor. His husband had slept there, in the cold, away from him. Maybe it was a bad idea, but Neji had to make sure he was alright. He couldn't lose him too... 

The brunet knocked in the door, even if it was open and with no key. Giving him space, as one would do in the good times, could mean  _ 'leaving you to die alone' _ , and that wasn't what he wanted to do. A groan was the only reply he got from his husband. Not even a protest, or an argument... just a meaningless noise. Neji inhaled deeply, feeling his lips trembling; his chest felt like it had a pressure that wasn't there before. Or, it was, since the mess started, just... it worsened. 

"My little pebble", he whispered, resting his forehead on the cold wood. "I will gather food in some minutes. Do you want to come with me?"

"... not now, Neji", Lee replied, opening the door just to stare at him. He had been crying, based in how red his face was, how he covered his eyes with his hair. "I'll... wait here. Good luck."

The brunet extended his hand, an attempt at making the taller man feel better with affection. A hug. That always worked, but nothing had been as serious as what happened all the days before. Neji didn't want to make things worse, didn't want Lee to feel like he didn't love their child. In grief, he believed things that never happened.

Lee sighed, completely opening the door to embrace him. He covered his body with his muscled arms, using his ( _ now taller _ ) stature in his favor. Neji allowed himself to relax, even if for a second; Byakugan deactivated, he enjoyed the hug. Normally he would break it after a minute or two. Hugs like this made him feel uncomfortable, but... in horrible situations, new habits bloomed. 

The brunet decided to simply stay there for a while, his ear listening to the heartbeats of his love; a sound that was soothing, in the morning and in the night. Soothing, as having slept without hearing it at his side for the first time in months.

"I'm sorry for getting angry yesterday", Lee muttered, his chin resting in Neji's head. "Too many... d-deaths... I guess you just really can't cry anymore, isn't it?"

"Yeah", the shorter boy replied, closing his eyes. "I feel... empty. Sad. I guess it's normal, but- I still feel like that. And I hate it."

Neither of them said anything for a while. The coldness that came with living near a river started to bother the men, even if it was eased by the trees. Neji was the first to break the embrace, playing with one of his hair strands after doing so.  Sighing, he grabbed the basket in the ground, not looking at his husband again.

"It's better if I go before it becomes too sunny and  _ they _ wake up", he explained, his voice low. He wasn't expecting to receive a kiss; dumb thought, as they were together since they were sixteen. He was still as shy as the first time their lips touched.

"I can go with you. We'll find more food that way", Lee argued, giving his husband a little smile, that didn't even reach his eyes.. "If I stay here... I'll start crying again. Maybe we can go to another place in Spring?"

Neji let out a small giggle at this, denying with his head. They jumped to the ground, deciding to walk to the place where berries grew; vegetables, and animals that ate them, were what they could find there. Nutritive.

"Hmm... I don't know if there are more abandoned houses in this direction", Neji added, sighing. "But we can explore, yes."

His husband didn't reply, concentrated in his steps. In not looking to the flower circle, where their son now rested. The brunet grabbed his hand, to distract him from his thoughts. 

Both of them froze as they heard the snapping of a branch. A careless action, that couldn't have been made by an animal. After that, nothing was heard.  Then another snap of a twig, coming from other direction. And groans.

"I think we have enough food for today", Lee commented, slowly retreating in his steps. The brunet imitated him, never leaving his gaze from the forest; so intimidating and dark now, with the noises that came from it.

And that's when he noticed.  _ His eyes _ .  Neji had deactivated the Byakugan. 

Now they were running to the house again, not having made more than a hundred of meters away. Not even close to where the food awaited.

"Lee, throw the basket!", Neji exclaimed, opening the door for his husband before entering himself. Lee didn't listen, holding the wood thing to his chest, leaving it in the floor as he was in the walls of their house.

But the infected were fast. Senses enhanced by the sickness and the chakra they had in their veins- the person they  _ used to be _ had, not  _ them _ . They were like predators, and all the healthy people were their prey( _ if someone apart of them was still out there, of course _ ).  Neji could recognize the clothes the two infected were wearing in any time. He could recognize the dark hair of his sister and niece everywhere, even in the wrecked state they were in. They were running in their direction, with Himawari being the fastest of the two. Neji doubted, for a moment, in closing the door; memories of her visiting their home, of her running to his arms while giggling happily, started to flood his eyes. 

"Neji!", his husband screamed, moving him out of the way. The man tried to slam the door, battling against the little girl and her gentle fist.

Then Hanabi came after them too. Her face had rotten, long ago. Her pale eyes were looking at different directions, unfocused, lost. The green chakra was in all her body; it became softer, like a civilian's, camouflaging unless you looked at it directly with the Byakugan. That was the only way to watch out for infected people. And he failed the simple task of keeping his skill activated. 

Trying to dodge the memories, Neji helped his husband in defeating his family, careful of not punching them near the face. Lee, not needing to keep them away anymore, kicked the door; and the hell ended as soon as it had started. Their groans were still heard outside, in a voice that wasn't theirs. 

"My dear rival", he heard his husband say, at his side. His tone carried all the tiredness of the world, as if it was painful to talk. "Breathe."

That's how he noticed the hand in his shoulder, the worry of those dark green eyes. Neji inhaled, feeling refreshed for a moment, even if the guilt from his chest did nothing but expand itself. To his throat, his shoulders; no matter how much he tried, there was no escape from it.

"Let's go and rest, shall we?", Lee whispered, softly grabbing his hands. With a smile, that still didn't reach to his eyes; the effort was still appreciated.

"We just woke up, Lee", the brunet argued. Yet he let the taller man guide him to their room, making him lay down with all the carefulness of the world. Neji sighed at this. "I... almost let us be killed. I have failed again, at keeping you safe."

"Neji, that's...", Lee tried to argue, to comfort him in some way. But the shorter man wasn't paying much attention, his temples tense and eyes closed. He tried stroking the rebellious hair strands that rested in his face, obtaining a shaky sigh from him.

"I let our son die. Our friends. And, probably, the entire world". Neji bit his lower lip, feeling an itch in his eyelids. "If only I had arrested that damned scientist. You... don't even know what he did to his poor children. He would torture Mitsuki and then erase his memories, over and over again. And we could do nothing but  _ stare _ ."

Tears still refused to escape from his body. Shaky sighs and lips did not. Feeling bandaged caresses in his cheeks was what made him finally look at his husband again, open his eyes, face the reality that he and the other ANBU were guilty of generating, in a way. Trapped in the border of what was legal, unable to help. 

He was surprised to see that Lee was taking his shirt off, and then his own; only to notice that both clothes had infected-saliva on them. It was gross.

"You know it makes the skin ache", his husband commented, placing the shirts in the room chair used to save dirty clothes to wash later, the only thing that was normal in this hell. 

Then Lee laid at his side, and Neji hugged him before he had a chance to rest properly, holding him close to his chest. He... just wanted to do so, afraid of him going away while he was asleep.

"I can't lose you too", the brunet admitted, and it was the closest thing to a sob he had made in weeks. "... My little pebble."

That got a surprised laugh out of the taller man, who then looked at his hands. He seemed tense, but it was for only a second, so Neji didn't ask.

"My little feather, I... won't go anywhere", Lee promised. His tone was uncertain, something that made sense in the moments they were living now; infected everywhere, something could happen, at any moment.

~

At some point, Neji fell asleep. He heard strange sounds coming from behind, noticing how the embrace was broken in his unconsciousness.

"Lee?", Neji asked for him, receiving no answer at all. Just the soft muttering of his husband, who was moving at his side. The mattress was old, noisy; Was he fighting someone in his sleep? That... happened once, and he got trapped with the blankets.

He looked fine, at least from behind. His naked body, filled with scars. His hair, to the shoulder blades now, still cubic and fluffy like the taller man liked it. He smelled horrible, even if they had bathed day before.

"Lee?", Neji tried again, placing a hand in his shoulder while suppressing a yawn. His voice was a mere whisper; maybe he was asleep. "Are you okay, love?"

That's when everything clicked. When Lee turned back, his head doing an impossible angle. When his eyes were unfocused, opaque, with drool and blood decorating his chin.  He hadn't took the bandages off last night. His hand, that blocked Himawari from entering to the house, using her short size in her favor... had one of them bit him when Neji was attacking who used to be his cousin?

_ 'Kra, kra, kra...' _

He heard teeth clenching, and his lips trembled. Lee slowly moved closer to him, smelling his head for some moments.

Neji knew it was over as soon as he allowed him do that. He closed his eyes as his husband- no, it wasn't his husband anymore- as the infected bit his neck, strongly, not letting him be free. He felt the warmth fading from his body. The infected didn't let go until the sun was out, and... wait. He was noticing it, yet he was bitten and all unattended wounds became deadly in five hours. It looked like it was afternoon.  That's when the infected let him go, savoring his blood with his tongue. Making another groan.

Wait... Why was he conscious? Thinking? He couldn't control anything. His eyes didn't blink once, while his legs moved alone. He didn't feel anything. Was that how everyone ended? Spectators of a massacre, experiencing it in the first seat?

_ 'Oh no _ ...', Neji thought, noticing how who used to be his husband followed his body. Lee would have seen how he... attacked him. He must have felt terrible.

Yet he couldn't do anything. It was like watching television, but all day, at all times, and without break. At least, they were zombies together... Even if they couldn't talk. Couldn't hug. A stupid comfort, while bugs and worms formed in their skin. Not even death separated them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :(

**Author's Note:**

> Guess what; the small what-if-Hinata-dies-instead AU was in my mind since January, but I couldn't finish it XD  
> Try to guess what part was written first, as a game.


End file.
